Residents of border areas in Badakhshan province are complaining about a severe shortage of health centers, a lack of specialist doctors, and limited access to medicine. They say that due to the lack of facilities, patients are forced to either travel to Tajikistan for treatment, incurring heavy costs, or live with their illnesses.
According to locals, difficult-to-pass routes and the absence of suitable vehicles have made accessing health services challenging, sometimes causing patients to die before reaching a hospital. Raziq, a resident of Badakhshan, says that most of the province's 28 districts face shortages of medicine and health centers.
He added, "The five Darwaz districts have no proper roads, and in some areas, a health center might only have one nurse and no medicine. Two years ago, 17 mothers died in Keran o Menjan district due to the lack of access to a hospital and proper roads."
Women and children are the most affected by this situation. Aisha, another resident, stated that women and girls lack access even to basic hygiene products. She said that impoverished families cannot afford the high costs of treatment and transportation, leaving them deprived of care.
These problems are exacerbated in winter when heavy snowfall blocks roads, posing a serious risk to pregnant women. Nazanin, a resident, noted that even in Faizabad, the provincial capital, the shortage of doctors, especially female doctors, is a major challenge.
This comes after residents last month heavily criticized the poor performance of the "Sanai Development Organization," which is responsible for providing health services. In conversation with the 8 Sobh newspaper, sources had accused the organization's officials of misusing facilities and having close ties with local Taliban authorities.
Source: Local Reports
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